The march of the tablets PCs has finally led to the corridors of power at the ‘mother of all parliaments’, the House of Commons! The latest news at the turn of what has essentially been the year of the tablet, is that 17 handheld computers from one of the major global brands, have been brought in to provide support to the work of government and its’ ministers.
The news swiftly follows the recent Crown Prosecution Service announcement that they hope to soon allow the handheld PC and laptop to be used by lawyers during courtroom trials. The acceptance of the tablet PC as a vital tool for portable key data file access in professional institutions as well as the commercial workplace, is set to change the perception of the tablet PC as only a media consumption toy.
Even greater things are expected of the mobile tablet PC in 2012, with the take up of high specification rugged tablet PCs at competitive prices from key tablet PC suppliers, aimed at critical high end applications in construction, manufacturing and retail distribution. According to some market analysts, tablet PC sales could reach over 99 million in 2012, a rise of well over 50 per cent on 2011, passing 100 million to hit over 132 million in 2013!
The touchscreen PC is - with it’s larger than smartphone, glare free screen of at least 7in - the ultra portable viewing device of choice for the busy professional. The forecast is that tablet PCs are likely to be quickly and easily pressed into service as ‘control and information’ devices to access the web and display data in all areas of public and private enterprise, including vehicles.
Ultra mobility, lighter weight, bigger screen, more robust build and speed and ease of use over the bulky heavy laptop have already proven to be the key attractions for the media consumer. Both the pen tablet PC and dual mode PC, which supplies a keyboard function to the touchscreen, is more than a match for the laptop in overall spread sheet and document processing, editing, and other office applications.
The combination of multi-touch capability with a pen or virtual keyboard input is radically transforming preconceptions about the viability of a handheld PC for active content creation and genuine productivity in a business environment. Literally, a hands-on experience, the digitizer or dual mode tablet PC enables not the only the manipulation of items directly on the screen but also to write or type on the screen as well. Key applications include collaborative display, note taking, mark up, document editing, reviewing PDF annotation, diary/calendar entry, etc.
An October 2011 survey found that at least nine out of ten organisations say they are planning to invest in tablet PCs for company use in 2012. Just in time for the arrival of Microsoft’s Windows 8 OS, specifically aimed for tablet PC browsing and the clearest signal yet that the tablet has seriously arrived at the professional workplace.
News that Getac UK will be launching the “world’s smallest, toughest tablet”, complete with a 7in fully rugged screen is a perfect example of how the tablet PC converges with smartphone utility while retaining robust build with an user-friendly screen size - a spec hard to match for serious commercial applications.
Clearly aimed to provide strategic operational support to key field service industries, such as retail distribution, construction, and architectural survey, the new Z710 rugged tablet PC is both military grade MIL-STD-810G and IP65 rated to withstand five feet drops, is water and dust proof and can operate in the severest temperature conditions from -30 to +60deg C. Handy for use in refrigerated trucks or on oil drilling platforms, for example!
Other key features include the multiple connectivity and communication options of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB and GPS16GB of storage (expandable by MicroSD) plus an inbuilt front and rear (5megapixel) camera.
With a survey conducted in October 2011 declaring that at least nine out of ten organisations are planning to invest in tablet PCs in the coming 12 months, there’s no doubt that the commercial workplace is the arena where handheld computers will see increased usage as the mobile device of choice.
Throughout 2011, tablet PCs have been adopted as the cool screen viewer on the move for fast, compact hi-res media consumption and web access at the fingertips. Research has found that over a third of UK tablet owners use their devices to watch video-on-demand (VOD) content, rivalling TV-based media consumption, and seeing a15 per cent decrease in PC usage too.
A separate marketing study suggests, however, that just over one half of all users prefer the use of their tablet PC over mobile or PC as the perfect device for late evening use to accompany watching TV.
In the last twelve months, the acceptance of the tablet PC as the ultimate handy online browser has led to over a quarter of users saying that touching onto ads had increased and nearly two thirds are now browsing online with their tablet as part of the product research and buying process. Over a half of tablet PC users now view advertising as a ‘personal invitation’, as opposed to privacy invasion.
As a result, tablet owners say they are fifty per cent more likely to purchase an item on their devices when compared with those who just owned a mobile or smartphone. Sixty per cent of tablet PC owners have now made a purchase online compared with just under 50 per cent of smartphone users.
The arrival of Microsoft’s Windows 8 OS in mid to late 2012 and with Nokia indicating that a Windows 8 tablet could also be launched by the summer, it’s clear that the mobile marketplace is gearing up for the next phase of conversion to tablet use which is aimed to literally ‘touch’ every field of human activity, work, rest or play!
Tablet PCs may soon be playing a key role at the heart of the court justice system in England and Wales. Recognition of the invaluable benefits that an ultra mobile tablet PC can bring to serious organisation and workflow in any environment has been a key achievement of the last 20 months since the introduction of handheld computers.
Latest news that the Crown Prosecution Service is working towards a programme which will enable handheld PC and laptop computers to be available for use in courtrooms by lawyers during trials follows hot on the heels of the Swiss pharmaceutical company, Roche, who launched an initiative in July 2011 to roll out 8,000 tablet PC computers to its workforce.
According to the CPS, the use of tablet PCs will drive forward the "transition to a paperless courtroom" by removing many of the paper documents required to be moved between courts every day, thereby, significantly cutting transport costs. Furthermore, experts believe the UMPC will help lawyers in the presentation of their cases by providing greater organisation potential, as amply demonstrated by other professional service applications, such as in healthcare, education, government and research organisations.
The decision by Roche to arm it’s personnel with tablet PCs - especially the sales workforce - spotlights the rising awareness of the handheld PC as a key tool and company asset. A tough but lightweight and highly portable mobile device with instant mobile / WiFi connectivity and high resolution, glare-free screen provides the complete flexibility to work anywhere, anytime, with access to work data whenever needed, is crucial to today’s online ecosystem.
Meanwhile, reports that tablet PC manufacturers are soon to release software applications adapted to "individual enterprise requirements", will elevate processing functionality beyond present media browsing, consumption and display usage. It is expected to supersede the keyboard, which is currently a staple of most PC users because they are better able to carry out office document tasks, creating or editing new multimedia content, working on spread sheets, etc.
New 2011 surveys predict that total sales of personal computers - including tablets PCs - could reach 414 million worldwide, an increase of 13 per cent over 366 million in 2010. Global sales of handheld computers are predicted to increase at over 80 per cent up to 2015. Figures have already shown that sales of tablet PCs overtook notebooks by around 25 per cent in 2011, which is expected to increase to about one third in subsequent years.